My first GEC, stainless or carbon?

LX_Emergency

LX_Emergency

Joined
Jun 28, 2007
Messages
3,215
So I'm getting ready to buy my first GEC and I'm faced with a little dilemma.

I love the look of THE ez opener in american elk and I like 440C.

However, I don't have anything in 1095 and have heard so much good about it that I'd really like to try it.

So be so kind and tell me which YOU prefer and why.

It probably won't decide which one I'll get but it might help me decide a little.

Regards
LX
 
I don't like "stainmore" steel so I got a GEC e-z open in zebrawood. I love it! I think their 440 is excellent...so much so that my next knife will be another GEC stainless.
 
I remember someone on this forum did some cutting tests on GEC stainless and carbon steels. I cannot remember the exact results, but someone else may have the link. I think that there was not too dramatic of a difference between the two in terms of practical use.

I have a couple of knives in their 1095 steel and it is pretty good stuff. I think its best attribute is that it can be brought back to a very sharp edge with minimal effort and skill. 440 make take a slight more effort, but probably not enough to make a decision on that point alone.

I don't think you can go wrong with either steel from GEC. Personally, I buy particular GEC knives based more on the handle materials more than the blade material - ie I would buy their stag Northfields regardless of if they were 440 or 1095.
 
I prefer stainless because my sweat reeks havoc on carbon steel but if you don't mind the patina and a liitle extra care, you will NOT be dissapointed with GEC's 1095 carbon steel.
 
I find that 1095 takes a bit smoother edge, and 440c a little toothier one. Other than that the factors would be if you have very acidic sweat or work around salt water. Anyways, both materials are great ;~)
 
I prefer carbon, as I find that the knife will age better IMO. I love the look of a well used classic slippie
 
I like GEC's 440C and 1095 quite a bit. I think both have a good heat treat, and that is a big determinant in a steel's performance. Both are top notch users, in my opinion.

Personally, my preference would probably be 440C because I must admit I do prefer stainless steel.

Also, there seem to be less GEC's in 440C than 1095, so I would say that if there is a 440C pattern that appeals to you, pick it up!
 
You'll probably find that most here prefer carbon steels to stainless ones. However, ultimately it really depends on your needs & environment.

I don't live in a high humidity area, although it does get hot here, so I like carbon steels (Although my favorite is the semi stainless D2).

I also remember reading a thread about GEC's 1095 vs 440C & I don't recall the result, either. I do know that GEC's heat-treat of both are very good & at a good hardness, so I don't think either is going to be a bad choice.

1095 is an easy to sharpen steel that's tough. 440C has a good combination, for stainless, that holds a decent edge & is relatively tough for a stainless.

Personally, I'd go with 1095, but good look on your choice either way.
 
An interesting note about carbon steel is that they used it to keep the cost of knives down. Somewhere along the lines people started selling it as a "better" steel. Having had both for a number of years all on my new purchases will be 440C when I have those two steels to choose from.
 
CL01 said:
You'll probably find that most here prefer carbon steels to stainless ones. However, ultimately it really depends on your needs & environment.
Click to expand...
That's what I thought as well. But so far mainly people that recommend 440C. I think I might just have to get both....

one EZ open in 440C and one Toothpick in 1095 :D
 
I think it is one of those things that in theory might be true...carbon might take a finer edge. However, out of the 100 or so I've compared it really is hard to tell the difference. Both will make the hair jump off you arm just by gettnig the blade close.

When it comes to having a knife you can forget about 440C wins hands down. Carbon will lose its edge just setting in a box. You don't have to worry about pitting or the blade turning black with 440C and edge retention if much greater on 440C. I had a non knife person tell me not to order high carbon because it was junk. He said the edge would roll, they rust, and don't cut worth a darn. I didn't both explaining it to him.

My view of high carbon blades isn't quite that bad, but I wouldn't be upset if I didn't own any. I have one I like, but I baby it all the time making sure it always has oil on it. My EDC blades are 440C and I always make sure they don't have oil on them so I can use them for any task I wish.
 
In my experience the 1095 sharpens a little easier, but the 440C stays sharp a little longer.

Get both, you can't go wrong with either. The EZ openers are VERY SMALL, in case that matters.

The toothpick is available with both steels, and even in 440C with the elk scales.
Get one each in the toothpick and compare apples to apples, so to speak.
 
I personally prefer 1095. 440C is certainly no slouch, but I find 1095 much easier to work with. It sharpens easier, and the edge can be brought back more easily with a loaded strop. The less toothy edge of 1095 makes for a better whittling knife, which is important to me. So from a whittler's perspective, 1095 rocks.

But if you live in a coastal area, make your life easier and do the 440C.
 
knarfeng & myself did extensive tests on gec carbon & 440c at the ist of 2010 & some testing in 2009. i went 240 lb. burst strength cardboard or 275 lb. edge crush cardboard. knarfeng used 3/8 sisal rope in a special jig setup. my results on the gec 1095 against queen d2 gave about a 5% edge to the gec 1095. when i shipped the knives in 1095 & 440c to knarfeng, queens d2 shaded both gec alloys about 6% with the 440c very slightly ahead of the 1095. frank measured bevels right behind the edge on queen & gec. the queen was 026 thousandths while gec was o 019 thousandths. this invalidated my 1095 tests against queen d2 because although they were equally sharp at start the gec had a friction advantage. gec has excellent heattreat on both steels, i prefer carbon since i like the way the blade finish ages.
dennis
 
Stainless for me, too. 440C is a very decent steel and you don't need to worry about spots and stains on your blade. But note that the GEC 440C is mirror polished, while the 1095 is not. Mirror-polished steel shows scratches more...
 
I just had 4 hours extra travel time (thank you dutch railroad services) this past week...and my boss will pay me for all of them. So as compensation for my suffering i've decided to get both.

Sometime this week I'll be ordering an EZ open in stainless and a Toothpick in carbon.

I'm very excited!

Oh and any tips for scale materials will be taken into account...(support your argument with LOTS ans LOTS of pictures)
 
DSC00749.jpg

musk,stag--tooth,blood red--barlow,brown jig bone--barlow,primitive bone--tooth,amer. elk--musk,stag
four on left are carbon & the two on right are 440. sorry i do'nt have any 3 in. knives in stainless but the patterns will give lx size comparison. of the two smallies the left is #26 & the right is #25. they will forever be only barlows to myself but other formites can discern the difference. it's no interest to myself.
dennis
 
I echo what others have said.

With many brands, there is a significant difference. With GEC, there is not. To my use, they perform the same.

I use both and have no real preference, but hear this: If you don't like the patina forming on a blade, save yourself a lot of work and just get the stainless. it will look new for years to come!
 
DennisStrickland said:
DSC00749.jpg

musk,stag--tooth,blood red--barlow,brown jig bone--barlow,primitive bone--tooth,amer. elk--musk,stag
four on left are carbon & the two on right are 440. sorry i do'nt have any 3 in. knives in stainless but the patterns will give lx size comparison. of the two smallies the left is #26 & the right is #25. they will forever be only barlows to myself but other formites can discern the difference. it's no interest to myself.
dennis
Click to expand...

Thank you very much!

Does anyone happen to have a comparison pic with an ez open in it? Someone mentioned that it's very small....but compared to what?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top